Thursday, April 4, 2013

Lincoln



Lincoln, winner of two Academy Awards, directed brilliantly by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln (Who won Best Actor) recently arrived on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy from Dreamworks/20 Century Fox/Touchstone.
 
When my wife first suggested we go see Lincoln at the movie theater I balked at the idea.  I’m not a big fan of historical films, especially political historical films.  Reluctantly I hauled myself to the theater, sat down and prepared myself to be bored.

I was in for a BIG surprise.  Lincoln was anything but boring.  In fact, the combined political intrigue, personal struggles of key characters and day-to-day activities of all the people involved set against the horror and bloodshed of the Civil War made the film one of the most exciting and intriguing movies I’ve seen in years.

Most films about Abraham Lincoln seem to concentrate on his youth or his assassination.  They make Lincoln an almost mythical figure with few flaws.  In this film Lincoln is shown as a man in conflict, troubled, unsure, cynical and filled with compassion.

Daniel Day-Lewis did a spectacular job portraying the slow, exorable decline in Lincoln’s physical and mental stature as the war took its toll on him both physically and spiritually.

The entire cast are to be congratulated on their spot-on performances especially Sally Field as Mary Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as an irascible politician.  Watching the film I could feel the tension of the moment, understand the conflict and emotional turbulence each character was enduring and feel compassion for both their failures and triumphs.

This is not a watered down and rose-color glasses look at a period in Lincoln’s life.  It is a bold and provocative examination of American politics, racism, bigotry, the fight for freedom and the healing of wounds between the South and North.  Well done!

The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo pack also includes featurettes about the making of the film including character, setting and costume design and historical references.